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@uitrit ttt` tra 1 at cui @ffice JAMES G. LUCAS; oFfNnWARK;Nuwonnsnunsslenon To HIMSELF AND Aceros L. '.SAWIN;

Letters'Patent'No. 78,983, dated Jui1 e'16,186l8 `amtealatediJmed,1868.v

IMPROVEMENT IN MAOINE FOR BBNDING WOOD.

TO ALL WHOhI IT MAY CONGERN:A *v

Be it known that I, JAMES G. Lucas, of Newark, in the vcounty of Essex,and State of New Jersey, have 4invented certain new and usefulImprovements in Presses -for Shaping '.lrunlc-'lops; and I do herebydeclare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description ofthesame, reference being had to the accompanying `drawings, making `aportion of this specification, in which- 4thread at 4each end, the twothreads orscrewsof each'rod running in opposite directions,

Figure 1 is a centra-l vertical longitudinal section of apressconstructed according to my invention.

Figure 2 is a central vertical transverse section of the same.

Similar letters of reference indicate corresponding parts in bothfigures.

I vn making the bulged tops of trunks, much diiculty'ihas beenexperienced in securing such curvature of the diierent parts of thesurface aswill give therequisite symmetry to the same, and the-object ofthis inven- `tion is to provide amachine by which the` result mentionedmay bc secured, and which, furthermore, may be employed for pressing orshaping tops of any dcsired'size. v p

The invention consists in a longitudinally-recessed former'so combinedwith a presser-die that the central. parts of 'the trunk-topmay beconfined and pressed into the flattened form required in the finishedtops. 'The inventionu'lso Aconsists in the combination of side`presser-stays with the just-mentioned former, whereby the lateralportions of the tops are brought upon the surface of the former, andmadeto conform in shape thereto.

To enable others to understand the construction and operationof myinvention, I will proceed to describe it with reference .to illedrawings.

The supporting-frame ofthe press is shown at Each of the four cornerposts thereof is extended. upward, with the two at eachvend connected atVthe top by a cross-bar, a. The side-rails b of this frame are: dividedlcentrally, as shown at a* in iig. 1, cach portion of each rail beingformed with an oblong vertical slat. Placed upon the dividcdside-.railsjustrrncntioned, are'horizontal bars, e, each of which has at eachend'zt vertical screw, 6*", passing down through the' slat'in theadjacent part of thev side-rail, and provided below the said rail with anut, a. 'By placing the'screws Zz* at suitable pointsin thesla'ts'aforesaid, the frame A may be lcngthened or shortened to adaptthe press :for working upon tops oi' different lengths, as hereinafterset forth.

At each end of the frame A., working in bearings provided upon theupright corner-posts, and situated, one at the upper and the other atthe lower part of the said posts, are `horirontal rods d, furnished atone-end with pulleys,c*, connected by a band, di, in such manner thatone of the said rods being rotated by a crank, acorresponding movementwill bercomxnunicated to the other. 'Eachof the aforesaid rods is formedwith a, screvvand passing through the adjacent ends of verticalclamping-barsf,in such manner that, -by turning the rods, as just setforth, in one direction or the other, the aforesaid-clamping-bars uponeach pair of rods will bemade to approach or recede from each other, asthe case muy be, the said bars serving to' clamp the frame B',hereinafter described, in place, as indicated in iig. 2. p v

Resting uponthe horizontalend-piecesfi" `the side-pieces, y, of whichare hallowed or madeconcave at their inner tonsof the former,hereinafter described, and which constitute the sid centrally totheunder side ofthe frame B is a transverse brace, m, is a presser-die, O,which, taken longitudinally, is depressed or hallowed out at itsupperside, as shown in iig.1, lbut which, in its transverse section,isarched, as represented in. 5g. 2. I

D represents a block or formerfthe under side of which is so-shaped-asto correspond with the curved or buiged surface of the finishedtrunlrtep,`except thatit has formed in it a longitudinal recess ordepression, as shown at g*. E indicates horizontal bars, of whichtliereis one at each end of the supporting-frame the extremities of the saidbarsworking in vertical guides provided upon the postsof vthe aforesaidsupportingl frame. The bars E are pressed downward in the operation ofthe press by screws F working through the sides to correspond to thelateral porepresser-stays of the press. Secured fixed centrally upon theupper 'side of which of the supperting-fra1no is a horizontalrectangularframe, B,

cross-bars a', and furnished at their upper ends with cranks orhand-wheels n, as shown in the drawings, 4whereby they may beconveniently turned. When preferred, the former D maybe attached in any,suitable manner to the lower 'ends of the screws F, so as to be liftedas welll as depressed bythe operation of the said screws.

In nsing'thepress, the boards from which it. is designed' to form thetrunk-top, having been duly prepared for bending or shaping by steamingand soaking, or other means, are placed upon the frame B, as shown inred outline in the drawings, it being intended that each trunk-top beformed of two boards laid side by side, as shown more fully in fig. 2,any desired number of thicknesses ot' boards being laid one uponanother, which being done, the former D is placed upon the boards andpressed downwards by means of the screws F, the boards being compressedbetween the side presser-stays, and the lateral portions ofthe-saidboards are made to conform in shape to the said parts of the former atthe same time ,that the presserdie C, by Torcingthe een# tral portionsof the boards upward toward and tovsome extent intothelongitudinalrecess g* of the aforesaid iormcr, causes such centralportionsof the boards te assume such a shape that, when the two boardsof which Y a top is formed are properly fitted together, the centralpart of suclLtop will have the iiattened contour required to insure asymmetrical appearance of the trunk. It 4will be borne in mind that theboards, resting with their" ends upon the end-piece of the frame B, arecaused by the said end-piece to follow o'r bcpressed upon thelongitudinal curvature of the former D, the office of the sidepresser-stays being to press the boards upon thelaterallportions of thesaid former, so that, by the means described, the endend lateral edgesof the trunk-top may both be made depressed at the same time that therequisite iatness ofthe central post ofk the trunk-top is secured. Y v dY Diierent sizes ofitrunkftops may be shaped by employing frames B andformers Dot' corresponding size, the clamping-barsf being adjusted tosuit the width of the frame, and the length of the supporting-frame Abeing increased or diminished, as hereinbefore set forth, to suit thelength thereof. To prevent the lowermost boards from dragging upon theside presser-stays g during the shapingor pressing operation, it is,preferred to insert friction-rollers longitudinally and at suitabledistance yapart in those surfaces of the side presser-muje which forcethe boards against ortowards the former.

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, y

1. The iongitudinally-recessed-iormer, in combination with thepresser-die constructed to ope-rate substan- 4 tially as and forthe`purpose specified.

' 2. The side presser-stays, in Acombination with the former,constructed to operate substantially as and for thepurpo'se specified.

' JAMES G. LUCAS.

Witnesses: v

JOHN D. C. WHEELER, HENRY Gr.- LANE'I4

